Two years ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it was changing the definition of rape that had been in place since 1927. It took effect for last year’s violent crime count, and, under that new definition, rapes were up in most cities.

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The nearly 90-year-old definition described “forcible rape” as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” Under the new definition, the agency stopped calling it “forcible rape” instead simply referring to the crime as rape. It was also changed to drop reference to gender and is no longer limited to penile penetration of a vagina. The new description for rape is:

“The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”